Butter Lettuces Soft Round Heads and Frilly Leaves Photo by: DK - The Complete Gardener's Guide © 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited DK - The Complete Gardener's Guide , 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited Probably the easiest and most rewarding of crops, fast-growing lettuce can be grown in the smallest of spaces, including containers, and will provide you with fresh salads all summer and even into the winter months. How to Grow Lettuce needs a bright spot, shaded from midday sun, and grows best at temperatures of 50–68 degrees F. It also prefers moist, free-draining soil, improved with well-rotted organic matter. For an early-summer harvest, sow hardy types outdoors in the late winter. Tender varieties can also be sown under cover in the winter and early spring, 1/2-inch deep in modules to be planted outside when the frost has passed. For summer crops, sow outdoors once temperatures rise to above 41 degrees F. Lettuce should be thinned or planted 6–12 inches apart, but this depends on the variety, so always check the packet.

Keep plants well watered, especially during dry spells to help prevent bolting, and weed them often to reduce competition. Loose-leaf varieties can be harvested leaf by leaf as soon as they are large enough; harvest traditional hearting varieties as soon as a small heart develops, cutting them cleanly through their stems with a sharp knife. To prevent disease, clear away all plant debris after picking.

Types of Lettuce to Try These various varieties of lettuce will provide you with a health mix of crisp greens: Loose-leaf: Try ‘Cocarde’, ‘Delicato’, ‘Fristina’, ‘Granada’, ‘Green Salad Bowl’, ‘Lollo Bionda’, ‘Lollo Rossa’, ‘Red Salad Bowl’, ‘Rossa a Foglia Riccia da Tavolo’ and ‘Verde a Foglia Riccia’ Butter: Try ‘All The Year Round’, ‘Buttercrunch’, ‘Cassandra’, ‘Clarion’, ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’, ‘Mottistone’ and ‘Tom Thumb’ Romaine: Try ‘Chartwell’, ‘Dazzle’, ‘Freckles’, ‘Frisco’, ‘Little Gem’, ‘Little Gem Pearl’, ‘Lobjoits Green Cos’, ‘Nymans’, ‘Pandero’, ‘Parris Island’, ‘Pinokkio’, ‘Tintin’ and ‘Winter Gem’ Head: Try ‘Challenge’, ‘Frisee’, ‘Great Lakes’, ‘Iceberg’, ‘Mini Green Improved’, ‘Radicchio’, ‘Red Iceberg’, ‘Saladin’, ‘Webbs Wonderful’ and ‘Winter Density’ Cut-and-C

ome-Again In addition to lettuce varieties, quick-maturing leaf crops are perfect for growing as a fresh and plentiful crop.

Just one sowing will provide you with tasty leaves for several weeks. Like, lettuce, cut-and-come-again greens thrive in small areas, making them an ideal way to grow salad if you have limited space. How to Grow As the name suggests, cut-and-come-again crops are sown, harvested young, left to grow back, then cropped again. Leafy crops are best suited to this approach, and you can buy seed mixes for different tastes and uses. Sow seeds as you would lettuces indoors in early spring in pots, or outside in pots or into well-drained, fertile soil, once the temperature has risen above 41 degrees F. After two to three weeks leaves should be ready to pick. To harvest, either pick the larger leaves individually, leaving the smaller ones to grow, or cut back the whole plant with scissors. The latter approach is quicker, although the plants are slower to recover. Once they have regrown, however, plants can be harvested again in the same way. Plants will regrow a number of times, but for the strongest crop, resow a fresh batch every three weeks for a succession. Keep the plants well watered at all times, and feed crops in containers every two weeks.

Clear plant debris after picking to avoid diseases, and keep plants well weeded. The Complete Gardener's Guide © 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited Next Up How To Grow Lettuce and Salad Le How To Grow Lettuce and Salad Leaves While green lettuce, such as ï¿½Little Gemï¿½, is a traditional main ingredient of any salad, the fancy leaves of ï¿½mustardï¿½, ï¿½spinachï¿½, ï¿½rocketï¿½ and ï¿½mizunaï¿½ provide extra colour, texture and flavour to modern picnics. If you are not keen on tight heads of lettuce then the loose-leaf type that you can cut are well worth trying. Soil and Position A bright sunny sight is best, although most lettuce will put up with light shade. Soil that has been fortified with some organic matter and supplementary plant food will grow a good crop if kept clear of weeds that could otherwise swamp the seedlings. If you have little garden space to spare, you can grow salad leaves in a Vegetable Planter or a Grow Bag. Simply cut open the bag and sow seeds.

Seed Varieties There are hundreds of different lettuce varieties, herbs and greens to create a salad to your liking. Here are some lettuce names to conjure with. Cos types: ï¿½Lobjoitsï¿½, ï¿½Little Gemï¿½, ï¿½Winter Densityï¿½. Crisphead types: ï¿½Webbs Wonderfulï¿½, ï¿½Icebergï¿½. Butterhead types: ï¿½All Year Roundï¿½, ï¿½Buttercrunchï¿½, ï¿½Avondefianceï¿½. Loose leaf: ï¿½Salad Bowlï¿½, ï¿½Lollo Rossoï¿½, ï¿½Bergamoï¿½.

Herby leaves: ï¿½Corianderï¿½, ï¿½Green Oak-Leafï¿½, ï¿½Rocketï¿½, ï¿½Corn saladï¿½, ï¿½Lambs lettuceï¿½, ï¿½Parsleyï¿½, ï¿½Red Mustardï¿½, ï¿½Spinachï¿½, ï¿½Greek cresï¿½s and ï¿½Mizunaï¿½. Sowing Seeds Starting in April, sow seeds every 3 weeks to provide fresh salad throughout summer and autumn. Donï¿½t scatter the seed over a wide area as you may not be able to distinguish your salad crop from weeds. Unless you are sure of what things should look like when they germinate, grow mixed leaves in straight lines. Take out a shallow drill just 1cm (ï¿½in deep and water immediately. Sow seeds thinly on this moist soil and then cover with more soil. If you are using a gro-sac, or planter, place it on a sunny patio, take out enough compost to reduce the level by 1cm, and water the bag thoroughly.

Scatter seeds over the exposed compost area and then cover with the compost you removed initially. Water whenever the compost feels dry. Care Keep the soil moist at all times, but not soaking wet. To encourage fast growth that is tender and full of flavour feed plants in garden soil every 3 weeks with a solution of Liquid Plant Food. Feed Giant Planters every 2 weeks starting 8 weeks after the seeds were sown. Harvesting Cut headed lettuce with a knife when they are large enough for the kitchen, but use scissors to trim the outer leaves of herbs and loose leaf-types of lettuce. Lettuce Lettuce 4 Varieties to grow through the winter months - best grown with protection Seekay Horticultural Supplies - quality seeds and growing aids PAGES 1000+ images about Lactuca (Lettuce) on Pinterest | Grow lettuce, L'wren scott and Marshalls Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Lactuca (Lettuce) All about Lactuca (Lettuce) Plants. If you want to add pins to this board please add a note on our Facebook time line with the name of the board(s) you want to pin to. No ads please.

43 Pins4.54k Followers How to grow Lettuce How to grow Lettuce Tags: growing lettuce , lettuce 3 Comments Lettuce [ Lactuca sativa ], is an annual plant that belongs to the asteraceae family. This family includes many garden flowers such as the calendula and sunflower. Lettuce is usually grown for it’s tender leaves, most often used in salads. The wild lettuce, the ancestor of our garden lettuce can be found in many countries across the globe and was brought to our shores by the Romans. There are 7 main types of lettuce, Batavian, Buttercrunch, Butterhead, Chinese, Cos, Crisphead and Looseleaf. Within these 7 types are hundreds of varieties that come in a wide range of greens, reds and speckled. By selecting from the large selection of varieties available, lettuce can be grown and harvested almost year round. Batavian Not widely grown in Britain, Batavian lettuce are also known as Summer Crisp lettuce and have thick crunchy leaves that do well in summer heat. They are greedy feeders and can grow quite large. Varieties include, the green leaved Nevada, and the red speckled Mottistone.

Buttercrunch This lettuce looks similar to the Cos or Romaine lettuce and is a cross between Romaine and Butterhead varieties. The Buttercrunch lettuce has an upright growth habit with deep green crisp leaves that grow in a rosette. They are more resistant to leaf rot in wet weather than Butterheads. Varieties include, Buttercrunch and Winter Density. Butterhead Butterhead lettuce form loose open heads of tender almost soft leaves. It was one of the most popular lettuces available in greengrocers and supermarkets for many years until we started to favour more crisp lettuce. Butterheads are available in wide range of colour, tastes and sizes. Green varieties include Santoro and All Year Round, though despite it’s name is not frost hardy. Red varieties include Sierra and the red speckled green Flashy Butter Oak. A popular mini Butterhead, good for a small space is Tom Thumb, and for winter cultivation try Valdor. Chinese These plants have very crisp, flavoursome leaves that are like a cross between a lettuce and a cabbage. It is often referred to as, Chinese Cabbage.

It is grown mostly for use in stir-fries and soups, the variety Celtuce has leaves with a distinct celery flavour. Cos This is also called Romaine lettuce, these plants form slightly open upright heads with a good flavour and crunchy mid ribs. If given plenty of water, they can stand summer heat better than most other types of lettuce. The mini Cos lettuce Little Gem has become a British favorite and is widely available in shops. The Austrian heritage variety Speckled Trouts Back looks stunning in pots or in the veg bed with its bright green leaves speckled with red. A large deep green variety Lobjoits, is an old favorite on allotments. For Autumn sowing try Winter Gem. Crisphead These Crisphead or heading lettuce roll their leaves into a head very much like a cabbage. This lettuce has become know as the Iceburg lettuce and is the most popular lettuce sold in Britain. They are good in the garden too, they have good disease resistance and last well even in hot weather. There are many good varieties like the old favorite Webbs Wonderful, Saladin and Soleison are excellent choices. Red Iceburg had red tinged leaves for something different, and for pots or a small space, try Mini Green.

Looseleaf Looseleaf lettuce produce lots of leaves without growing a central heart, they are easy, grow fast and come in a wide range of colours and leaf shapes. You can grow individual plants, just pulling off leaves as you want them, or grow in rows or pots as baby leaves that you cut with scissors. You can often get a second cutting of leaves, this has led to them being called ‘Cut and Come Again’ lettuce. Varieties include Red and Green Salad Bowl, Red and Green Oak Leaf, the red Lolla Rosso and the green Lolla Bionda. Mixtures of looseleaf lettuce and mixtures that also include other types of salads leaves are also available. Cultivation and Soil Lettuce will grow in almost any soil but grows best in a moisture retentive soil. As lettuce is 80% water, never let it dry out. It will help if you can add some organic matter or compost to the bed. It also welcomes a little shade in high summer, so if you have a slightly shady spot that other veg doesn’t like, try some lettuce there. By choosing your varieties carefully and using some protection like a windowsill, greenhouse and cloches, you can have fresh lettuce for most of the year.

With indoor sowings from January, and direct outdoor sowings from late March. You shouldn’t need to feed your lettuce plants, if you added lots of compost to the bed. If you do think they need a feed, try Comfrey or Seaweed, or Chicken pellets lightly forked in before planting. Sowing Indoors Indoor sowings can begin from January onwards, as cold tolerance of the lettuces is good. Sow the lettuce seeds thinly into a pot or tray of moist multi purpose compost, cover lightly with sieved compost or vermiculite. Label and place into a propagator or on a warm windowsill to germinate. Once the seedlings are through, keep in bright light so they grow strong, not tall and spindly. When about 1-2 inches high, prick out individually into pots or modules and grow on undercover, protecting from cold and frost. If you are planning to plant your lettuce outside, then a couple of weeks before planting out, start to harden off the young plants. You can use a cold greenhouse, coldframe or cloche, or put your trays of plants outside during the day, remembering to bring in at night. Remember don’t sow too many seeds at a time.

I often sow 2 or 3 varieties into a half seed tray, separating them with pieces of cane. Remember to label the different varieties. Planting Out When to plant out will depend on your local weather conditions, there is no point in planting out until the soil starts to warm up, but usually it will be around late March or April. You can plant out under cloches or layers of fleece, or use just use fleece as an overnight protection if the weather turns cold. Alternatively plant out in a greenhouse or polytunnel bed. Plant out the young plants according to the spacings on the seed packets. Planting distances will vary with the variety, but small compact lettuce can be spaced about 5-6 inches apart, while large crisphead varieties will need about 10 inches between plants. Chinese lettuces will need around 12 inches. You can as I often do, plant much closer, then harvest alternate lettuce plants for an early tender crop, allowing the others room to fully develop. Direct Sowing Outdoors Your local weather conditions will determine when you can start your outdoor sowings, in most places it will be about mid March onwards.

Work the soil to a fine tilth, covering the area with a cloche or fleece for a few weeks can help to warm up the soil. Sow thinly in a shallow drill covering with about a half inch of fine soil. When the seedlings are about 2 inches high, thin out to 3-4 inches apart. In a few weeks the lettuce seedlings can be thinned again to their final spacings. The best way to keep cropping lettuce, is to sow a short row [ about 4 ft ] every 2-3 weeks. This will give a succession of lettuces throughout the season. Sowing Baby Salads or Cut and Come Again Any lettuce can be used for baby salad or cut and come again, but the best are the looseleaf varieties. They can be sown indoors in pots or tubs or sown outside direct into the bed. If sowing in a pot, sow thinly onto moist multi purpose compost, cover lightly with compost or vermiculite. Cropping can begin when the seedlings are about 3 inches high, scissors are the best way of harvesting the tender leaves, cut what you need, leaving about an inch of leaf at the base.

When the whole pot of leaves has been harvested, give a liquid feed and in a few weeks you will get a second, if smaller harvest. Sow a pot of salad leaves every 2-3 weeks for continued harvests. If your sowing outside direct, sow in a shallow drill and cover with a half inch of fine soil. There is no need to thin out. Cut as before with scissors, and you should again get a second crop. Sow a 4 foot row every 2-3 weeks for crops all season. The use of cloches with lengthen the harvest if used at the beginning and near the end of the season. You can also sow your salad leaves direct into a greenhouse or polytunnel bed. Mixtures of different salad leaves are widely available. Interplanting or Cropping with Lettuce Lettuce or salad leaves can be sown or planted in between slower growing crops, this allows you to grow more in the same space. I often interplant lettuce with onions, tomatoes and young peas. The idea is that you grow lettuce in the space between the other plants and then crop your lettuce before the other plant grows tall or needs the room. It’s a great use of space if you have a small plot.

Pests and Diseases Lettuce is generally trouble free, watch out for slugs when the seedlings are small. Keeping the lettuce plants free of weeds will help with deterring slugs and help reduce the problems of mold. Good airflow and plenty of water is what lettuces want. Lettuce doesn’t like very hot weather so plant with some shade in high summer. Watch out for aphids, again if the plants are clear of weeds and have good circulation, aphids should not be too much of a problem; you can prevent aphid infestation with home made garlic spray . Winter Lettuce Although no lettuce is totally winter hardy, varieties like Valdor and Winter Density have some cold tolerance. All will need protection like a greenhouse and will not grow very fast without some heat. By sowing in Autumn and giving them winter protection, you can get an early crop in spring. Related posts 3 Responses to “How to grow Lettuce” Shawnda: Allotments In Coventry Allotments in Coventry in association with: London Road Allotment Association Lettuce Growing lettuce successfully is not as simple as it may seem. The soil should be in good heart and have adequate levels of moisture and lime.

Timely thinning to avoid overcrowding and build up of disease is vital. Try to keep plants growing consistently by watering in dry weather as this helps to avoid bolting. Soil pests can be controlled with a proprietary chemical, while slugs will need to be dealt with. Downy Mildew and Botrytis can also be a problem and can be treated with relevant fungicides. Lettuce, a cool-season vegetable, is extremely sensitive to high temperatures. If direct seeded during high temperatures, seed dormancy may result. Use transplants that are 3 to 4 weeks old. Time your planting of the crop so it matures during periods of cool temperatures. Summer to Autumn Sow outdoors from April to July, thin seedlings to a final spacing of 30cm (1ft) [Little Gem and Salad Bowl types 23cm (9")]. Leave 30cm (1ft) between the rows. Sow under glass during February in small peat pots planting out under cloches in March for early crops. Transplanting thinnings can be undertaken, but lettuce do not like disturbance. BUTTERHEAD Cabbage type, suitable for spring, summer or autumn sowing.

CONTINUITY Reddish tinged leaves of fine flavour. Quick to mature, recommended for successional sowing. DIANA Attractive dark green butterhead type, with strong mildew resistance ideal for late spring - late summer sowings. TOM THUMB Small compact dark green heads, excellent for smaller gardens. COS Neat small semi-cos of outstanding quality. Very sweet. Quick to mature. LOBJOITS GREEN COS A dark green self-folding cos type. Suitable for sowing spring to summer. RUSTY Distinctive red cos, the size of Lobjoits. Crisp texture, full of flavour. Well worth a try. WINTER DENSITY Between Little Gem and Lobjoits in size, this variety can be sown in autumn for overwintering, as well as in the spring/summer, like most traditional cos lettuce. CLAREMONT Outstanding cos type with sweet crunchy leaves. Excellent vigour and disease resistance. Slow to bolt. NYMANS A mid sized cherry red cos lettuce with yellow hearts. Slow to bolt and can be grown at high density. CRISPHEAD Very large crisp white hearts. Very good flavour. Outside leaves tinged with red edges.

SALADIN A superior Iceberg type. Large solid, very crisp hearts. WEBB'S WONDERFUL Large, crisp leaved with solid hearts. Slower to bolt in hot weather than some varieties. ROBINSON Fast growing crisphead for spring and summer production. Solid hearts are crisp and tender. Good resistance to Mildew and Root Aphid. LOOSE LEAF Red version of salad bowl, adds colour to salads. CAN CAN Non hearting with bright green leaves. Highly productive shows good tolerance to tip burn and bolting. RED FIRE Highly frilled bronze-red leaves that excite both the eye and the palate. Can be harvested whole or picked over. Excellent bolting resistance enables cutting to go on into the autumn. CATALOGNA (OAK LEAF) Excellent oak leaf type suitable for summer and autumn cropping. Tender, lightly bronzed leaves can be picked a few at a time or the whole plant can be cut. Slow to bolt. AMERICAN CURLED This variety has leaves which are pretty and curled. Very crisp and sweet when harvested young. UBRIACONA FRASTAGLIATA An Italian heirloom variety. Loose leaved bicoloured, red and green leaves.

SALAD BOWL Non hearting type. Pick the abundant foliage when young. ARUBA Red salad Bowl A red salad-bowl type, for all seasons. It produces leaves of good glossy colour on small stems. Slow to bolt. LOLLO ROSSA Small loose hearts of crinkled green leaves with red-tinged edges. Superior quality loose-leaf type. Winter ( Greenhouse ) Sow August to September without heat or October to January with heat. This will produce a fresh supply of lettuce from October to April. KELLYS A really good bright green crisphead short day cultivar, which crops April-June. MONTEL This fast growing lettuce it is suitable for all of the short day period. Mid-green, medium sized indoor butterhead type. Can be sown from mid October � April. Spring Sow end of August to September outdoors and thin to 7.5cm (3") apart before the winter sets in, complete thinning to 30cm (1ft) in the spring.

VALDOR How to grow lettuce - tips, instructions and pictures for a tasty harvest How to Grow Lettuce By Following My Disaster-Proof Tips and Instructions Understanding how to grow lettuce by knowing their needs will produce great harvests. Lettuce - a plant that everybody has heard of - is popular and apparently straightforward to grow! Sow lettuce seeds in spring and more in early summer, thin out the seedlings and harvest when mature. But there is more to knowing how to grow lettuce than this and treating them so casually will more often than not bring disappointment. Lettuce are a vegetable that grow best in cooler climates and there are many varieties that are ideally suited to the British climate. To emphasise - this vegetable does not like hot sunny conditions. They also like lots of rain so keep them moist by watering regularly. Pests and diseases will also have an effect, they may not be killed off but they will be severely reduced in vigour. If you sow lettuce seed all at once the plants will mature all at the same time and you will have approximately one week to pick them before they begin going to seed.

Lastly - a main reason for failure when learning how to grow lettuce is that they are not grown quickly enough, the leaves become tough and leathery. It is important to ensure that the soil has adequate humous incorporated - thats organic content to you and me. The soil must also be kept moist - golly am I repeating myself - you betcha. It is not quite as easy as some books make out but pick the right varieties, purchase a few cloches and follow the tips and instructions on this page, you can enjoy the fruits of your newly aquired knowledge on how to grow lettuce. Cos Varieties Dolly Save On Netting And Ground Cover Our kind friends at Harrod Horticulture have given all our visitors to the Vegetable Garden Guide a 10% discount on all their netting (including the ultra fine mesh) and all their materials and ground cover . Hurry... this offer wont last! ENTER LVNETS INTO THE PROMOTIONAL CODE BOX in the checkout area when purchasing from Harrods. Make sure you click on this link now to be certain of your discount How to Grow Lettuce - Soil Details Ideally, lettuce plants require a rich, humous-laden soil that will hold moisture in the summer.

They may require the soil to have lime added as a soil pH of 6.5 is just right - test your soil - but don't be too rigid. Quite often though, lettuce is grown between rows of slower growing plants like brussel sprouts or broccoli etc. This is called a 'catch crop'. Yep, here is another reminder, water is a vital ingredient so keep the soil moist at all times. Lettuce plants do not like hot sunny conditions, a good tip when learning how to grow lettuce properly is to choose a lightly shaded site for your summer varieties. Dig the soil and apply compost during the autumn or early winter. A week or so before sowing your lettuce seeds rake the soil over to produce a fine tilth and apply a general fertiliser like Growmore. Sow spring lettuce seeds into a sunny site outdoors if you live in a mild area. It may not be nescesary to give glass protection (cloche). (Just experiment - vegetable growing expertise increases dramatically only when you start to "do it".) The possibility of failure increases the more the ground becomes poorly drained or over exposed - spring lettuce is hardest to get right... who said learning how to grow lettuce successfully was easy.

How to Grow Lettuce - Sowing Seed Many books will advise you that lettuce seed can be sown into seed boxes or beds and the seedlings transplanted about a month later when they are about 2.5cm(1") high. For best results this is how to grow lettuce ...lettuce plants hate being moved so always sow seed directly into the position they are going to remain, and sow them very thinly - thinning out the seedlings when the first true leaves appear and avoiding overcrowding at all costs. Allow the remaining seedlings to grow to maturity without disturbance. (You can try transplanting the thinnings but why waste your time when lettuce seed is so cheap). Sow lettuce seed into beds very thinly (What! I've said that before - noooo :0]) into drills 13mm(½") deep with the rows 30cm(12") apart. Thin them out to 15cm(6")-30cm(12") apart depending on the variety. For growing lettuce under glass or on a window sill for transplanting, sow a couple of seeds into a peat pot.

When the seeds have germinated remove the weaker seedling, harden off then plant the whole pot along with the young lettuce seedling into its final position and the roots won't be disturbed. The picture to the right shows how to grow lettuce seedlings (Winter Density) whose seed were sown at the begining of February(2008). After sowing they were placed in my heated propagator in the greenhouse until they germinated. I only returned them to the propagator on frosty nights. In fact they coped on the bench in my greenhouse in air temperatures down to -8°C. I will transplant the lettuce with the peat pot straight into my greenhouse border. A useful tip for learning how to grow lettuce the 'recycling way' is to follow the instuctions in the previous paragraphs but instead of purchasing peat pots use an egg box (it has to be a cardboard type box) and fill the cells where the eggs sat with peat. Keep the peat moist and when the seedling is ready plant each individual cell into its growing position. You can use the egg box method for sowing other seed types. Fill the flat side with peat sow your seed into it covering them lightly with a little more peat.

Water and shut the egg box by putting the cell part on top until the first signs of germination then leave the lid open. Once the seedlings are big enough - when the true leaves appear and are able to be handled - transplant the seedlings into the peat filled cells to grow on and harden-off ready for planting into their final position, egg box cell and all. This is best suited for growing vegetables that don't mind being transplanted or benifit from it. Eg. cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli etc. To ensure a steady supply of lettuce and to avoid a glut (unless of course you are a glutton) sow little and often - every two weeks - the amount will depend on your needs. How to Grow Lettuce - Hardening Off This is a piece of - how to grow lettuce jargon - actually it applies to any seed you sow. Here is a quick description of what 'Hardening Off' is. This process is not only relevent in knowing how to grow lettuce correctly. It is the process of preparing all seedlings which have been grown under glass for outdoors. Initially ventilation is increased and then seedlings can be moved into cold frames.

Keep the cold frame lids (or lights) closed for a couple of weeks then begin opening them on dry frost free days and shutting at night. After a further week or when frost is not expected to be a problem leave the lids open for five days and nights before planting out. Seedlings that have been grown on a window sill in a heated room should be moved to an unheated room and then stood outside for a couple of days prior to planting out. If your just learning how to grow lettuce this may seem a bit tedious but you are learning a new skill which when done long enough will become second nature and you won't notice it annnnnd - yes I will say it again ;0).... experiment because thats how you will determine what is best in your 'micro climate'. At A Glance Not difficult, sow properly and water often. Spring lettuce the hardest How to Grow Lettuce - Caring For Your Plants When your seedlings are tall enough they are ready to be thinned out. You must avoid overcrowding. Water your plants the day before thinning and then continue to thin out in stages until your lettuce plants are at the required distances recommended for your variety.

This adjacent picture is a look into the delicate heart of a young Winter Density lettuce plant. The differing shades of green are fresh and enticing with the outside ambient light seen gently permeating its way through the thin translucent leaves. I took this photo to show how easy the plant could be damaged at this stage. I have had a lot of success with shop bought variaties but when transplanting make sure that the lower leaves are not buried. My success here is probably put down to the fact that these shop bought lettuce have a vigorous root system already established and so the root ball tends to stay together when transplanted. But as I said earlier - whenever you can, sow lettuce seed where the crop will grow to maturity. How to grow lettuce to get the best out of them needs just a little attention to detail and you will be fine - you will pick great crops at harvest. Protect your lettuce seedlings from slugs and birds (see pest control below). Hoe regularly to keep weeds down. Remove rubbish from around plants - this can harbour pests like slugs and snails.

Water regularly to keep the soil moist - this is important - but less so for plants grown in soil under glass, keep it a bit dryer to stop fungus diseases taking hold, keep ventilated. Watering in the evening increases the risk of diseases so water in the morning or midday. How to Grow Lettuce - Pest Control As I have indicated above lettuce is an easy crop to grow, but not necessarily easy to grow well - this is why I have said give just a little attention to some details and you will become a master at knowing how to grow lettuce plants. Protecting against soil pests, slugs and birds is important to knowing how to grow lettuce successfully. Equally important is to prevent any check to the lettuce plants growth. Cool, damp weather encourages the two major diseases of downy mildew and grey mould to become active and very destructive. Good preparation and aftercare will help keep these pests and diseases to the minimum. Don't despair and think there is too much working against us - after all there always seems an abundance of these tasty plants to go round each year. Downy Mildew - large yellowish patches appear between the veins of older leaves. Whitish mouldy areas develop on the underside of the leaves.

Diseased patches eventually turn brown and die. Worst in cool, wet conditions. Treat by: removing affected leaves as soon as the disease is observed. Spray the lettuce plants with Dithane - from any good garden centre. Grey Mould - plants become infected through dead or damaged areas. The fungus produces a redish brown rot when it reaches the stem, causing the plant to wilt and even break off at soil level. Masses of grey mould are produced at the point of infection. The disease is encouraged by low temperatures and high humidity. On outdoor lettuce, grey mold is a common problem in the spring and autumn when weather conditions are often favorable to it. Treat by: minimising crop debris around the beds at time of planting. use of raised beds. use crop rotation methods. If you would like to treat the infection using a spray then talk to your friendly garden centre about what sprays are best and safe. Root Aphid - greyish coloured aphids colonise the roots and become covered with white powdery patches. A yellowing of the leaves may occur and the plant will be stunted and wilt - disheartening if your only just learning how to grow lettuce. These attacks are worst in late summer.

Treat by: pulling up and destroying affected plants. Don't put them on the compost heap. There are sprays that can be used but chat with your garden centre team for what is safe and effective. There have been trials using barriers against these type of pests which have shown promise. By barriers I mean such things as horticultural fleece - a very thin white covering that can be draped over your crops. It allows water and light through but keeps out the baddies. Anything that reduces the use of chemical sprays has to be good but the one drawback for me about using barrier type protection is that you don't get see your plants growing in the same way. When I learned how to grow lettuce and other vegetables this was all part of the excitement - but we are engaged in a war ;0). Remember... prevention is better than cure (which is not always available), keep plants well watered during dry weather - water in the morning or midday (not at night). If attacks happen again try using resistant varieties. Greenfly - a good understanding of how to grow lettuce must include greenfly as they not only affect the growing of lettuce but many other plants too.

They spread mosaic virus (stunts plant growth) and cover the plants in an unsightly sticky honeydew (excreted by the green fly) which makes the lettuce plant unusable. Attacks are worst in a dry spring, the leaves may become badly distorted. Treat by: using fleece as a barrier or spray at the first signs of attack. Great information can be got from the Royal Horticultural Society on greenfly pest control . A new page will open - please make sure that if your pop-up page blocker is operating that you accept this page opening. Slugs - can also be a problem and can be dealt with using a combination of different methods. These slug pest control pointers are not only relevant in how to grow lettuce but for all the vegetable growing you will be doing! Treat by: going into your vegetable garden at night with a torch and collect the slugs by hand - they can be disposed of by placing in a box containing salt. place barriers around the plants... something rough that makes it difficult for them to slither on - like egg shells or sand. Or cover your seedlings with plastic bottles with both ends cut off and pressed into the soil over them.

nematodes are a very effective way to kill slugs without harming people or wildlife and is becoming a popular method of control. Nematodes are naturally occuring organisms which can't be seen by the human eye. Sold in packets - purchase them at garden centre or nursery, place the the contents as directed into a watering can, add water then apply to your vegetable garden. These little darlings then enter the slugs and kill them. They go on being effective in the soil for about six weeks. slug pellets are effective but need to be used sparingly as they can be a danger to wildlife because the chemicals metaldehyde or methiocarb they contain. There are wildlife friendly pellets around these days. I live next to a small stream so I am blessed with lots of frogs in my vegetable beds - they love slugs. Encourage beneficial wildlife around your veg patch - for example, purchase a purpose built hedgehog home. This all increases the enjoyment of your vegetable growing experience. I expect that when you thought to yourself that you would like to know how to grow lettuce you didn't realise that you would be getting so close to the wild life that frequents your beds and containers - scary stuff eh :0).

Bolting - Lettuce plants produce thick flowering stems if not picked after their hearts have formed (you have about 5-7 days max). Follow these tips how to grow lettuce and you should be ok. One cause is a check in their growth at some stage in its life. Careless transplanting or transplanting too late maybe one cause (remember they don't like having their roots disturbed). Letting the lettuce plants get too dry or become too overcrowded could be another. Best to plant into ground where they can stay undisturbed (am I repeating myself - sorry ;0]) or sow into peat pots or egg boxes under glass. (See 'Useful Tip' above). Any 'bolted' plants can be pulled up and put on the compost heap - cover so aphids won't be attracted to them. Birds - it goes without saying that birds are to be encouraged to populate your garden. One reason is that many varieties actively eat pests, a main reason though is that they just bring life, colour and joy into our lives. There are a few species, however, that are a serious nuisance to seeds, seedlings and mature crops. Two that come to mind are sparrows and wood pigeons.

Whilst you might be tempted to go for your air rifle remember - learning how to grow lettuce and other vegetables means learning how to compromise - you can do all you can to protect your plants but if a few get nibbled don't fret it. Use fleece or netting to minimise problems if these birds come-a-calling. The photo on the right pictures some plastic coated wire mesh cloches I created. They are dead easy to make so when I get time I will post an explanation how I made them. The only material I needed was the 13mm(½") wire mesh, short cable ties and some poly pipe if you want to make arched cloches. They are very flexible as you can also cover them with fleece, shading or polythene sheet. General precautions: remove the stumps from harvested lettuce plants - attractive to aphids remove decaying plant debris from bed How to Grow Lettuce - Harvesting As soon as the heart has formed the lettuce plant is ready for cutting. Check for firmness by gently pressing down on the top of the heart area with the back of your hand. This is the safest way as squeezing may damage plant tissue and if the plant is not ready to pick some horrible diseases may enter, as discussed above.

If the plant is ready and left in the ground too long (5-7 days) the heart will start to grow upwards - a sure sign it is begining to bolt. Cut them immediately for use or dig up and compost. When cutting for use it is best to lift the whole plant, cut off the root and lower leaves, placing them on your compost heap - don't leave on the bed to attract pests and diseases. You should now be holding a delicious looking lettuce plant of some variety. This is the end game - after applying your knowledge of how to grow lettuce you can now go and enjoy with pride the very real fruits of your labour, there are not many thrills greater than this. Bon appertite. This is me and my greenhouse buddy - Freddie Frog signing off. We'll be back updating and adding more pages so don't forget to 'contact us' and let us know what you would like adding to the site. Don't forget to visit the other pages too.

Question: Lobjoits, Webbs Wonderful and Winter Density are varieties of which summer vegetable?
Answer: LETTUCE